There are good movies, bad movies, and criminally underrated movies that don’t get as much credit as they deserve. Hollywood is inundated with hundreds of films yearly—so many that we can miss the hidden gems overshadowed by blockbusters and films that get all of the love during awards season.
There are many excellent, underrated movies, though—from smaller, indie films you may have missed to ones lost to history. We’re giving the should-be sleeper hits the roses they deserve while we still can, from swoon-worthy romances to heartwarming coming-of-age movies to once-misunderstood horror films and beyond. Below, find some of the most underrated but most deserving films of all time.
From the first moments of the trailer, it’s clear that this movie will wreck you emotionally. Maybe that’s why it only made $1.8 million at the box office, despite the stellar performances from its main cast. Andrew Garfield stars as Dennis Nash, a recently unemployed single dad evicted from his Orlando, Florida home, leaving himself, his mom, and his 9-year-old son to stay in a motel. Dennis tries to get the family back on track by taking a job with the megalomaniac real estate broker who evicted them (played by Michael Shannon), and the arrangement soon begins to spin out of control.
‘The Assistant’ (2020)
Julia Garner performs sublimely in this slow-burn drama that feels so insidiously cruel that it nearly seeps into the horror genre. Garner plays Jane, an overworked assistant to a big-time film producer who uses his power and position to abuse women (the man is never seen nor named, but the comparisons to Harvey Weinstein are fairly overt). It’s a movie that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
‘A Vigilante’ (2019)
While she’s taken to being behind the camera in recent years, Olivia Wilde is a criminally underrated performer. And this is the latest example of just how great she can be. She stars as a young woman with abuse in her past who spends her time beating the crap out of evil men. Wilde lays it all out there, playing tough, abused, miserable, triggered, and empowered, sometimes all in the same scene. It’s totally riveting.
‘Better Off Dead’ (1985)
Quotable lines abound (“I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS,” “Gee, I’m real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky,” etc.) in this dark comedy about a teen (John Cusack) who has everything going against him—parents who don’t care, a girlfriend (ahem, ex) who dumps him, and a little brother who is way cooler than he is. He plans to die by suicide, but he keeps getting distracted by a scary 30-year-old-sounding paper boy and a skiing contest against the school bully.
‘Beyond the Lights’ (2014)
This moving love story is about a singing ingenue on the edge of superstardom—and at the end of her rope—and the young cop who saves her does not get the attention it deserves. Please think of The Bodyguard, which is modern and deals with mental health. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, and Danny Glover are a powerful cast who bring home this story of star-crossed lovers and make it incredibly memorable.
‘Big Fan’ (2009)
This moving and poignant film is one you have to see. Featuring Patton Oswalt as a superfan who gets brutally beaten when he approaches his favorite player to say hello, the story hinges on the idea of being so supportive of someone who did something terrible to you. Emotional, heart-wrenching, and a sleeper—it’s just hard to watch and even harder to look away.
‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ (2019)
Based on the memoir of the same name, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the true story of how a Malawian teenager named William Kamkwamba invented a wind-powered electric water pump to help his small village survive a severe drought. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange, The Lion King) and Maxwell Simba in his debut role, this film is a definite tearjerker that will inspire you to get off your couch and do something with the day.
‘Cabaret’ (1972)
Most musical theater fans know the genius of Cabaret, but film fans may know it better as the film that kept The Godfather from sweeping the Oscars. (Director Bob Fosse and stars Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli walked away with three of Cabaret’s eight Academy Awards that year.) Today, it’s less well-known than its award-winning legacy, but everyone should know that without Cabaret, modern movie musicals like Chicago and Moulin Rouge wouldn’t exist. Everyone should also experience the harrowing sensation of the authoritarian regime on the edges of the film’s story, which is slowly beginning to take over the good times.
‘Chef’ (2014)
This film is about a chef who wants to cook, well, good food—and thus, opens a food truck. Everything about it is funny, heart-warming, and all things good. And the fact that it stars Jon Favreau, Bobby Cannavale, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Sedaris—you get the gist—is just marinade on the carne asada.
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ (2002)
You may have read the revenge epic in high school, but Alexandre Dumas didn’t exactly do his main character much justice in the 1844 original novel—Edmond Dantes is fine as hell! Played by Jim Caviezel, innocent sailor Dantes becomes the center of a complex government conspiracy and finds himself imprisoned in the Château d’If. Years later, he re-emerges in upper-crust French society as the Count of Monte Cristo, a mysterious billionaire with a severe chip on his soldier. Guy Pearce, James Frain, and a baby-faced Henry Cavill also star in the adaptation.
‘Daredevil’ (2003)
Allow us to direct your attention to a grade-A superhero movie that somehow slips through the superhero movie cracks: Daredevil. Ben Affleck plays the titular role of the blind-and-badass masked vigilante, while Jennifer Garner plays Elektra. The two team up to save their city from their foe, Kingpin, and avenge the murder of Daredevil’s father. If that description has not convinced you, watch the 2003 trailer.